I Married a Monster

PROLOUGE: The Fall of Laurent & Co.

Simone Laurent sat on the worn leather couch, her hands curled into fists on her lap. The house felt different tonight-heavier, like the walls themselves were holding their breath. Her mother sat silently across from her, fingers trembling against the porcelain teacup she hadn't taken a sip from. The clock on the wall ticked, each second stretching unbearably long.

Then, the front door opened.

Pumasok si Don Phillipe, ang dating matikas at puno ng kompiyansa nitong awra ay napalitan ng pagkalito...ng pagkatalo.

His tie was loosened, his shirt wrinkled- things she had never seen before. He was a man who prided himself on his presence,but tonight, he looked...lost.

Tumingin ito sa kanila ng kanyang ina, and just shook his head.

"It's over," he said. His voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. "Laurent & Co. is gone."

Simone felt something sharp twist inside her chest.

"What do you mean, gone?" she asked, even though she already knew. The missed payments. The dwindling contracts. The phone calls her father had started ignoring.

Marahas na napabuntong- hininga ang kanyang ama na napaupo habang himas-himas ang mukha nito.

"The bank refused the extention. Our clients have moved on. We have nothing left."

Her mother, Donya Victoria, inhaled sharply, pressing a hand into her lips as if it could hold back the sob threatening to break free. But Simone- she didn't cry. She couldn't. Instead, she felt something cold settle inside her, spreading through her veins like ice.

This wasn't just about losing money. This was about losing everything her father had spent his life building. The family name. Their future. Her future.

She had grown up in that office, sorrounded by numbers and contracts, dreaming of the day she would take over and make the business greater. Now, there was nothing left to take over.

" We'll figure something out. " her father said,though he didn't sound like he believed it. " We always do."

Ngunit wala silang nagawa. Nawala sa kanila ang Laurent Mansion. Ang mga mamahaling sasakyan. Ang kanilang ipon na pera. Everything her father had worked for had been wiped away in the blink of an eye.

And Simone,the girl who once believed in dreams and loyalty, learned a harsh truth that night.

Hard work wasn't enough. Trust wasn't enough. And hope was for fools.

From that moment on, she made a silent vow.

Hinding-hindi siya magiging mahina. Hindi siya magbubulag-bulagan. Hinding-hindi kailanman magtitiwala sa iba para sa kanyang kinabukasan.

The world had been cruel to her family.

Simone Laurent would be crueler.

And nothing-not love, not kindness, not fleeting moments of happiness- would ever make her forget that again.